Browsing by Author "Rukunga, Geoffrey"

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    A Review of Leishmaniasis in Eastern Africa.
    (Elsevier, 2009-03) Ngure, Peter Kamau; Ng'ang'a, Zipporah W.; Rukunga, Geoffrey; Kimutai, Albert; Tonui, Willy K.
    The review presents the epidemiology of leishmaniasis in the Eastern Africa region. We searched PUB MED and MEDLINE with several key words-namely, “leishmaniasis”;“cutaneous”, “diffuse cutaneous”, “mucosal”, and “visceral leishmaniasis”; “kala azar”, and “post kala azar dermal leishmaniasis”, -for recent clinical and basic science articles related to leishmaniasis in countries in the Eastern Africa region. Poverty, wars, conflicts and migration have significantly aggravated leishmaniases in Eastern Africa. Of particular concern is the increasing incidence of Leishmania-HIV co-infection in Ethiopia where 20∼40% of the persons affected by visceral leishmaniasis are HIV-co-infected. Sudan has the highest prevalence rate of post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis(PKDL) in the world, a skin complication of visceral leishmaniasis(VL) that mainly afflicts children below age ten. In view of its spread to previously non-endemic areas and an increase in imported cases, leishmaniasis in Eastern Africa should be considered a health emergency.
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    In Vitro Effects of Warburgia Ugandensis, Psiadia Punctulata and Chasmanthera dependens on leishmania major promastigotes.
    (Afr. J. Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines, 2010) Githinji, Edward K.; Irungu, Lucy; Tonui, Willy K.; Rukunga, Geoffrey; Mutai, Charles; Muthaura, Charles N.; Lugalia, Reuben; Gikandi, Geoffrey; Wainaina, Caroline W.; Ingonga, Johnston M.; Wanjoya, Antony
    Plant extracts from Warburgia ugandensis Sprague (Family: Canellaceae), Psiadia punctulata Vatke (Family: Compositae) and Chasmanthera dependens Hoschst (Family: Menispermaceae) were tested for activity on Leishmania major promastigotes (Strain IDU/KE/83 = NLB-144) and infected macrophages in vitro. Plants were collected from Baringo district, dried, extracted, weighed and tested for antileishmanial activity. Serial dilutions of the crude extracts were assayed for their activity against Leishmania major in cell free cultures and in infected macrophages in vitro. Inhibitory concentrations and levels of cytotoxicity were determined. Warburgia ugandensis, Psiadia punctulata and Chasmanthera dependens had an IC50 of 1.114 mg/ml, 2.216 mg/ml and 4.648 mg/ml, respectively. The cytotoxicity of the drugs on BALB/c peritoneal macrophage cells was insignificant as compared to the highly toxic drug of choice Pentostam®. The supernatants from control and Leishmania infected macrophages were analyzed for their nitrite contents by Griess reaction and nitrite absorbance measured at 540 nm. Warburgia ugandensis (stem bark water extract), Chasmanthera dependens (stem bark water extract) and Psiadia punctulata (stem bark methanol extract) produced 112.3%, 94% and 88.5% more nitric oxide than the untreated infected macrophages respectively. Plant crude extracts had significant (p<0.05) anti-leishmanial and immunomodulative effects but insignificant cytotoxic effects at 1mg/ml concentration. All experiments were performed in triplicate. Statistical analysis of the differences between mean values obtained from the experimental group compared to the controls was done by students’t test. ANOVA was used to determine the differences between the various treatment groups. The analysis program Probit was used to determine IC
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    In Vivo Efficacy of Oral and Intraperitoneal Administration of Extracts of Warburgia Ugandensis (Canellaceae) in Experimental Treatment of Old World Cutaneous Leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania Major.
    (Afr. J. Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines, 2009) Ngure, Peter Kamau; Ng’ang’a, Zipporah; Ingonga, Johnstone M.; Rukunga, Geoffrey; Tonui, Willy K.
    The antileishmanial activity of extracts of Warburgia ugandensis Spraque (Canellaceae), a known traditional therapy in Kenya was evaluated in vivo. Treatment of infected BALB/c mice with W. ugandensis extracts orally resulted in a reduction of the size of lesions compared to the untreated control. The lesion sizes differed significantly for the four extracts (p=0.039) compared to the untreated control. For mice treated by intraperitoneal injection, the lesion sizes increased initially for the hexane, dichloromethane and ethyl acetate extracts and healed by day 42. The lesion sizes for mice treated with methanol increased steadily from 2.47mm to 3.57mm. The parasitic burden was significantly higher (p<0.001) in mice treated with methanol extracts and PBS compared to those treated with hexane, dichloromethane and ethyl acetate. This study demonstrated the antileishmanial potential of extracts of W. ugandensis.